Unraveling Adoption
"I thought I'll go to the embassy and I'll clear this up. Yeah, that I was adopted legally and I was US citizen." -- Mike Davis READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Mike Davis, an intercountry adoptee whose story sheds light on the often-overlooked complexities of adoption, particularly regarding citizenship issues. Mike was adopted from Ethiopia at the age of eight by an African-American single father and grew up in the U.S. However, in the mid-1990s, he discovered that he was not a U.S. citizen,...
info_outline Educating the Next Generation: Adoption Messages in Children's Books with Allison Olson - Ep 168Unraveling Adoption
"I can read a book and tell you if it's written by an adoptee, written by an adoptive parent or written by somebody who's just a famous author and someone told him to write about adoption and they know nothing about it." -- Allison Olson EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Allison Olson, an adoptee and adoptive parent who has made significant contributions to children's literature on adoption. We explored her personal adoption story, which began in 1979 when she was adopted as a baby in a closed adoption, and how her experiences shaped...
info_outline Creative Paths to Healing Childhood Trauma with Jonathan Moon - Ep 167Unraveling Adoption
“I'm telling all the skeptics who may be listening, just go in there with an open mind because you're not going to lose anything. You have so much more to gain.” - Jonathan Moon EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Jonathan Moon, an adopted person who has navigated the complexities of relinquishment and adoption trauma. Jonathan's journey began in Korea, where he faced significant challenges as a child, including living on the streets and experiencing significant instability. He was adopted to the U.S. at the age of nine and...
info_outline The Realities of Open Adoption with a Mother-Daughter Duo with Linda and Belle Sexton - Ep 166Unraveling Adoption
"I think my mom does a great job addressing this in the book, but open adoption is not without its challenges." - Belle Sexton Episode Summary: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the honor of speaking with Linda R. Sexton, an adoptive mom and author, and her 25-year-old daughter, Belle. This marks our first mother-daughter duo on the podcast, offering a unique perspective on open adoption. Linda R. Sexton is an author, speaker and blogger. She is an adoptive mom of two children, both in open arrangements, and is the author of the award-winning book, . The story is told with frank...
info_outline The Intersection of Politics and Adoption with Mark H. - Ep 165Unraveling Adoption
"The way that fascism triumphs is if everyone goes silent and becomes quiescent." - Mark H. EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I, Beth Syverson, welcome Mark, a transracial adoptee from Korea and a passionate advocate for adoption-related issues. Together, we delve into the often-overlooked intersection of politics and adoption, particularly in the context of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. As an adoptive mom of a 20-year-old son, Joey, who is navigating his own path, I feel a deep responsibility to address the complexities surrounding adoption and how they...
info_outline Unpacking Adoption Trauma: Insights from an Adoptive Parent with Stacey Uhrig - Ep 164Unraveling Adoption
“They [our kids] can't be more regulated than you are. They can only be as regulated as the least regulated person in the house.” - Stacey Uhrig EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Stacey Uhrig, an adoptive parent and certified trauma recovery coach. Stacey shared her journey into adoption, which began after her own struggles with infertility. She emphasized the emotional complexities and challenges that come with adoption, particularly the trauma that both adoptees and adoptive parents may face. Stacey discussed her...
info_outline Personal Trust Communities in Adoption with Mike Thorne - Ep 163Unraveling Adoption
"When I was nine years old,...my parents just looked at each other and looked back at me and said, Michael, we just want to tell you that we love you very much and that you're adopted." -- Mike Thorne =============== 📘Get our new book Adoption and Suicidality: 📆 Community Calendar: ✨Healing the Adoption Constellation database: 💌Sign up for our Unraveling Adoption email list: ============== EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike Thorne, an adoptee and community leader. Mike shared his journey of discovering his adoption...
info_outline The Importance of Adoptee-Led Initiatives with Jessica M. Luciere - Ep 162Unraveling Adoption
"I tell every adopted person that I meet that their story changes my own story. And it's the truth. It is the absolute truth." - Jessica M. Luciere In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, host Beth Syverson interviews Jessica M. Luciere, an inter-country, interracial adoptee from Colombia who works at Spence Chapin, a nonprofit adoption agency. Jessica shares her personal adoption story and highlights the importance of adoptee-led initiatives in the adoption community. She discusses the programming she has created at Spence Chapin, including Voices of Adoption for adoptees over 18 and...
info_outline Shedding Light on Children of Priests with Brendan Watkins - Ep 161Unraveling Adoption
"The Church, of course, is doing everything it can to silence victims." - Brendan Watkins EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, the host, Beth Syverson, interviews Brendan Watkins, an Australian adoptee who shares his emotional journey of discovering his origin story filled with religious intrigue. Brendan found out that his birth mother became pregnant in the 1950s and relinquished him for adoption, and later became a nun. He then discovered that his birth father was a Catholic priest. Brendan's memoir, Tell No One, sheds light on the challenges faced by children of priests...
info_outline Homeschooling Complexities for Adopted Children with Rae (Adoptee Reclaimed) - Ep 160Unraveling Adoption
"I never learned the word stress until I was 14 years old. And I can guarantee you I was very stressed well before the age of 14." -- Rae =============== 📘 Order our book Adoption and Suicidality: 📆 Community Calendar: ✨Healing the Adoption Constellation database: 💌Sign up for our Unraveling Adoption email list: =============== EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, host Beth Syverson interviews Rae, whose handle is Adoptee Reclaimed. Rae discusses how being homeschooled from kindergarten through high school in a conservative family led to feelings of isolation...
info_outline**TRIGGER WARNING** This episode will be talking directly about suicide, so this might not be for everyone to listen to right now. But we at Safe Home believe this is a very important topic so we hope you’ll listen when it’s safe for you to do so.
In this week’s Safe Home Podcast, Beth talks with Frank King, a comedian who wrote for The Tonight Show for over 20 years and who performs standup worldwide. Along the way, he focused his creative attention on the topic of mental health, and specifically suicidality. Now known as the Mental Health Comedian, he talks openly about his own suicidality and, using humor as a tool to open up the conversation, he informs people about suicide prevention, destigmatizes mental illness, and helps people feel seen and heard. He has a few wonderful TED Talks: including A Matter of Laugh or Death, Mental with Benefits, and Born To Be Funny.
===============
💌 Sign up for our Safe Home Families email list: http://eepurl.com/hVIAVX
===============
RESOURCES:
Frank’s information:
- Frank’s website: https://www.thementalhealthcomedian.com/
- Frank’s Tedx Talk “A Matter of Laugh or Death”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBUXND5BD4M&t=967s
Other resources mentioned in this episode:
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 988 - or text HELP to 741741 -https://988lifeline.org/
- The Message of You: Turn Your Life Story into a Money-Making Speaking Career by Judy Carter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250007100
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - free resources: https://www.nami.org/
===============
Safe Home is created by Joseph Nakao and Beth Syverson
Music written and performed by Joseph Nakao
Cover art by Joseph Nakao, photo by Beth Syverson
Email questions or comments to Safe Home at [email protected]
Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Support Safe Home on Patreon: Patreon.com/SafeHome
===============
TIME STAMPS:
1:30 Frank explains creating a career from comedy about suicide
7:48 Vulnerability is Frank’s superpower
9:58 Dentists, veterinarians, and construction workers have the highest incidence of suicide deaths
11:17 Frank’s mental illnesses - Major Depressive Disorder and Chronic Suicidality
15:35 Mental with Benefits - what if mental illness is a desirable disadvantage?
17:30 Frank’s self-care plan - 5 daily requirements to maintain his mental health
20:40 Suicide prevention tips
22:20 Does talking about suicide make it more likely someone would attempt suicide?
23:48 We’re not saying “commit suicide” anymore - what do we call it now?
25:08 The new 988 suicide prevention lifeline
28:02 **TRIGGER WARNING** Frank’s intergenerational depression and suicide stories
32:09 Sugar addiction as a long-term death sentence
33:15 Ambivalence about suicide means most people can be saved from suicide; what are the warning signs?
36:33 Lock up your medications, parents!!
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/safe-home-podcast/message